As a feature phone, the Nokia 6700 classic utilizes the latest, 6th edition version of the S40 interface, and introduces certain improvements over its precursor. So, here is a list of the more prominent novelties it brings forth:

• API that allows applications to make use of the integrated GPS• Light visual improvements • New look to the Active standby on the phone home screen• New, WebKit-based internet browser• Flash Lite, updated from version 2.1 to 3 • MMS version 1.3 that support messages of up to 600 KB• Improved overall stability

Let´s first take a look at the home screen. It can appear really simple or show a wealth of information and allow access to various applications. Similarly to the Nokia N97 and its widgets, you can place up to four tabs here, with all of them showing varied information. A shortcut bar appears at the top of the screen by default and you have the option to remove or add more (over 30). There is an info field just below the bar that permits access to and provides control over both the audio player and phone radio. The next one shows calendar information – the current date and the next two events. The last one delivers Google search functionality and all four can be customized to your own taste. We quite like the new home screen, because it looks better than the previous version and moreover, allows people to personalize the phone more easily.

The home screen of Nokia 6700 classic and some of its personalization options

Aside from the visual improvements, there is a brand new and really interesting function in the phone contacts, called “Find on map”. It shows your contact´s address on a map and provides instructions on how to get there (if an address has been previously entered, of course). The whole thing is made possible thanks to the J2ME API that permits various applications to make use of the integrated GPS.

Contacts

Come to new features in the phone messaging function, there are novelties with the multimedia messages only. MMS has now been updated to version 1.3 and the maximum size of a single message has been increased to 600 KB. There are no new things in the SMS and email functions. The tab at the lower left of the screen lets you turn an ordinary SMS into an MMS. Setting up the phone email client, if you use a popular provider, is fast and easy. You just need to enter your user name and password and the phone will automatically find all relevant settings for you. The email client is not bad, but we would´ve loved to see something like Nokia Messaging. Still, it´s functional and will do, unless you need to open HTML letters.

E-mail client

Messaging

Browser and GPS:

The Nokia 6700 keeps in line with modern standards and delivers fast 3G connectivity with both HSDPA 10.2 Mbps and HSUPA 2.0 Mbps support. These values are impressive, at least in theory, but really hard to hit in reality, because there quite many factors that affect network throughput, such as whether or not your carrier supports the technology, network coverage, signal strength and a host of others. We need to point out that we wouldn´t have complained if the handset sported built-in Wi-Fi.

The evolution of the S40 6th Edition browser and the improvements it comes with are a smart move of the manufacturer indeed. We are really happy to see it is WebKit-based app now that supports full HTML. Pages load faster when 3G is available, but more importantly, they are rendered and visualized properly. The text is automatically reformatted to fit on the screen, which makes for a nice novelty feature as well. Unlike latest Symbian S60 devices, the small map that pops up after extended scrolling fails to provide a really clear idea of where exactly onto the page you are. You will have Show miniature instead of Page Overview, but it´s actually pretty much the same and doesn’t perform worst either. The fact that the Flash Lite player has been updated to version 3 doesn’t mean you will get full Flash support. Rather, you will be able to see elements that fail to visualize on Flash Lite 2.1. We are pretty disappointed that the keypad buttons don´t provide shortcuts to main functions, so we ended up rummaging through the options menu on regular.

minimap

miniature

History

The Show miniature option in the browser of Nokia 6700 classic is handy

All told, we are pleased with the new WebKit-based browser of the S40 6th Edition interface. Even if not as good as the one on the latest smartphones of the manufacturer or the iPhone Safari, it will certainly do for watching YouTube videos, browsing news or opening the normal, computer versions of most websites. It´s good that similarly to all other S40 models, the 6700 classic comes with Opera Mini preinstalled. The app works faster than the built-in browser, but doesn’t visualize web-pages as good as the latter. Still, it makes for a viable alternative and is, by no means, a redundant app.

GPS:

We encountered certain issues with the built-in GPS when we started it for the first time. Without internet connection to download the latest satellite positions and therefore locate our position fast, it failed to come up with any result even after waiting for over 10 minutes. Once we switched on the A-GPS however, everything worked like a charm and the device pinpointed our current location in under 20 seconds after hardware restart. Quite an accomplishment indeed.

The phone comes with Ovi Maps pre-installed, which is the new name of Nokia Maps. Unlike the version on Symbian S60 smartphones, it doesn’t provide information about traffic or different map view modes. Out unit came with a voice navigation license that is free for 3 months, but this depends on the locale you purchase the phone in, so you better enquire about the bonus feature at your local dealer.

We apologize for the mistake and have now changed the text to:
"This is a global GSM phone, it can be used with AT&T's 1900MHz 3G band, and with T-Mobile without 3G."
That's because the 6700 classic has quad-band GSM support and tri-band 3G (900/1900/2100MHz). Once again, sorry for the confusion.

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